CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox made their biggest offseason move Tuesday, bringing Miller Lite and other Molson Coors beverages back to Sox Park.
It wasn’t exactly the deal Sox fans were hoping for after a season in which their shortcomings were exposed in the American League Division Series loss to the Houston Astros, but the return of a popular brand of beer will have to suffice.
On the other side of town, Cubs fans are trying to muster up excitement over the Dream Team that President Jed Hoyer has put together. Unfortunately, it’s only a Dream Team in the mind of Chairman Tom Ricketts, who promised the Cubs would be active in free agency and then made only one long-term commitment — to Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki.
Opening day is only nine days away. After one of the most in-your-face winters in baseball history, fans no doubt will celebrate its arrival despite the lack of offseason spending. The lessening of pandemic-related anxiety and the return of baseball are a doubleheader everyone can get behind.
That’s reason enough to look forward to April 7, when the Cubs play host to the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. The Sox face the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park the next day. Yet it doesn’t override the concerns of angst-ridden fans over lost opportunities to sign free agents before and after the lockout.
The Sox should cruise to another American League Central title, but did they improve enough this offseason to put them closer to a championship?
The Cubs made two key signings in starter Marcus Stroman and Suzuki, but were they enough to make them relevant again in the National League Central?
We’ll start with the Sox, who can boast of an all-time-high payroll of $193 million, according to fangraphs.com, to deflect any criticism of an alleged lack of spending. General manager Rick Hahn also can point to last summer’s extension to Lance Lynn and the acquisition of former Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel as proof the Sox don’t mind shelling out money during the season.
Yet the fact they’re playing hardball in arbitration with starter Lucas Giolito, who has done more to promote the Sox brand the last three years than anyone in the organization, makes you wonder about their priorities.
The Sox’s biggest expenditures this winter were for relievers Kendall Graveman and Joe Kelly, who will make a combined $15 million in 2022. Both should be welcome additions to a bullpen that lost Michael Kopech to the rotation. And if the Sox can find a taker for Kimbrel and his $16 million salary, it’s a virtual wash.
But who knows if that’s going to happen? The Sox could go into the season with Kimbrel still in a setup role, ignoring the lesson of 2021 — he’s not well-suited for the job after spending his career as a closer.
The Sox chose to stick with a revolving door in right field instead of signing a free agent such as Nick Castellanos, Kris Bryant or Kyle Schwarber, all of whom were affordable. Vaughn’s recent hip pointer injury turned out to be minor, though before the diagnosis was known some speculated the Sox would look elsewhere for outfield help.
“Those are probably the fans who are not White Sox fans,” manager Tony La Russa told reporters in Glendale, Ariz. “White Sox fans know there are guys in this camp who can handle it.”
Maybe. Vaughn and Gavin Sheets can hit, and Adam Engel, when he’s not injured, is one of the league’s best defensive outfielders. But none has proved himself as an everyday player. They acquired another outfielder Tuesday, though Adam Haseley is another spare part at best.
The Sox also needed another starter after Carlos Rodon’s departure, knowing Kopech’s innings would be limited in his first year in the rotation. But they signed Vince Velasquez, who served up 2.19 home runs per nine innings last season, and now have to count on Dallas Keuchel to return to form and Kopech to stay healthy .
The Cubs, meanwhile, don’t have to worry about living up to expectations. There are none. While dumping all his stars in July, Hoyer insisted it didn’t signal a traditional “rebuild” was underway, and Ricketts later wrote a letter to Cubs fans that said: “We have the resources necessary to compete in 2022 and beyond, and we will use them. We will be active in free agency and continue to make thoughtful decisions to bolster our team this offseason.”
They made a pre-lockout splash with Stroman’s three-year, $71 million deal, which includes an opt-out after 2023, and then another with the signing of Suzuki for $85 million over five years. Kudos to Hoyer for reeling them in.
But most of the Cubs’ “thoughtful” offseason decisions involved the arrivals of veteran pitchers such as Wade Miley (35), Drew Smyly (32), David Robertson (37), Jesse Chavez (38) and Chris Martin (36) and backup catcher Yan Gomez (34). They’ve yet to discuss a new deal for catcher Willson Contreras and are counting on Patrick Wisdom (30) and Frank Schwindel (29) to repeat their breakthrough seasons of 2021.
Stroman and Suzuki signings aside, the Cubs haven’t shown they’re committed to winning now — or even in 2023. If Stroman opts out after 2023, the only contracts the Rickettses are committed to in ‘24 are Suzuki and David Bote.
What happened to all the revenue from the Wrigley Field renovations, the premium clubs and wall-to-wall advertisements, the Marquee Sports Network, the sky-high ticket prices and the under-construction sportsbook annex?
Will Ricketts use them to refurbish the old stadium for Chelsea, the Premier League club he’s trying to buy?
Either way, it figures to be an interesting summer on both sides of town. After a never-ending winter like this, we deserve one.
